Photo: Julie Rousey, McGill graphic design and Getty Images
The alternate Earth that rains down rocks and has lava-filled oceans may seem like a science fiction movie, but it’s a reality. In 2018, astronomers discovered the K2-141b exoplanet, and scientists have just published a study showing some of the extreme conditions.
While K2-141B is the size of the Earth, it could not be more different. This exoplanet is considered a lava planet due to its proximity to the orange dwarf star. All the lava planets are so hot that some regions are likely to have lava oceans. But what makes K2-141B unusual is the weather conditions that researchers at McGill University, York University and the Indian Institute of Science Education have found.
Surface, sea and atmosphere As an exoplanet made of all rocks, one can only imagine the weather. Using computer simulation, the researchers came to some interesting conclusions. It appears that two-thirds of the planet faces constant illumination, due to the fact that it is gravitationally close in place due to the proximity of the dwarf star.
In the display of extreme contrast, the night side temperature is -200 ° C (-328 ° F), while the day side is shocking 3000. C. It is not only hot enough to melt rocks, but also steam them. In fact, it is this thin layer of vapor that creates the atmosphere.
This vapor then turns into rain just like the water cycle on earth. At K2-141b, the steam of the rock is spread by high winds on the night side of the earth. The currents then bring the lava back to the burning day before it rains in the oceans. At that point, it then evaporates and the cycle starts again. Gradually, over time, this cycle will change the shape of the planet.
“All the rocky planets, including Earth, started out as molten worlds, but then quickly cooled and strengthened. “Lava planets rarely give us a glimpse at this stage of planetary evolution,” says Nicholas Cowan, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science.
The team is now working to validate its predictions using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, which should provide information about the temperature on both sides of the planet. Once the James Webb Web Space Telescope launches in 2021, they will be able to test their predictions about the atmospheric cycle of K2-141b.
h / t: [CBS News]
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